"No Party Lines in Honoring Heroes, Make Us Proud of Our Homeland"…Suspected Cadet's Petition to Moon in Blue House Petition

President Moon Jae-in delivers a commemorative speech at the 6th West Sea Defense Day ceremony held on the afternoon of the 26th at the Cheonjabong and Nojeokbong ships of the Navy 2nd Fleet Command in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Eun-young] On the 26th, a petition post by a petitioner claiming to be an active-duty military cadet was posted regarding the Ministry of National Defense's refusal to allow a specific politician to attend the 'West Sea Defense Day' commemorative ceremony.

On the 27th, a petition titled "An Active-Duty Republic of Korea Military Cadet Offers Sincere Advice to the President" was posted on the Blue House National Petition Board.

The petitioner, identified as Cadet A, a fourth-year student at the military academy, said, "A few days ago, I came across unbelievable news," adding, "It was news that the Ministry of National Defense refused the attendance of lawmakers Yoo Seung-min and Ha Tae-kyung at the 11th anniversary memorial ceremony of the Cheonan sinking, 'West Sea Defense Day,' citing political neutrality."

Cadet A asked, "What kind of day is West Sea Defense Day?" and stated, "It is the only day of the year to commemorate the heroes who died defending the Republic of Korea against North Korea's provocations during the Cheonan sinking, the Second Battle of Yeonpyeong, and the Yeonpyeong Island shelling, and to console the bereaved families who lost their beloved sons and husbands to the nation."

He continued, "Where is the ruling and opposition parties in a national memorial event honoring the noble heroes who gave their lives for the country? How can politics or ideology be involved?" and added, "If I may speculate, the Ministry of National Defense's intention seems to be to preemptively block political controversy that could arise from the attendance of mostly opposition politicians at the event."

He further said, "Opposition politicians are citizens of the Republic of Korea before being politicians, and their participation in memorial events to honor heroes is perfectly normal," adding, "However, blocking their participation simply because an election is approaching or because political controversy might arise is beyond my understanding no matter how much common sense I apply."

Petitioner A posted a petition titled "An Active Duty Republic of Korea Cadet Offers Sincere Advice to the President Out of Patriotism" on the 27th. / Photo by the Blue House National Petition Board capture

Cadet A stated, "If advising that the state should step forward to commemorate the fallen and console the bereaved families, and that this should never be obstructed for any reason, is considered a violation of political neutrality, then I will violate it a hundred or a thousand times," adding, "I will also accept any punishment imposed."

He also added, "With the hope that such an incident will never happen again, I petition the President. Please make the Republic of Korea and the military I belong to proud. Military cadets will continue to strive and strive again to become the proud backbone of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces, loyal to the country and devoted to the people."

On the 23rd, Ha Tae-kyung, a member of the People Power Party, criticized, saying, "What does commemorating fallen soldiers and consoling their bereaved families have to do with politics?" and "Is this really a country?" / Photo by Ha Tae-kyung, member of the People Power Party, captured from social media (SNS)

Earlier, the Ministry of National Defense stated that it could not allow former People Power Party lawmaker Yoo Seung-min and People Power Party lawmaker Ha Tae-kyung to attend the West Sea Defense Day event, citing that the 4.7 by-elections were imminent and they could not visit the unit where the event was held.

However, controversy arose when it was revealed that the Ministry of National Defense sent 'KakaoTalk invitations' to members of the National Assembly's Defense Committee and Political Affairs Committee on the afternoon of the 25th, one day before the event. As the controversy spread, the government belatedly allowed members of the National Assembly's Defense Committee to attend, but ruling party lawmakers fiercely criticized this, saying it "kills the victims twice."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.